Iris Zero: Echoes of Thought
by Knight of the November Dawn
Summary: Toru has been through years of vicious bullying as an iris zero, and now has a circle of friends who mean the world to him. But what happens when Toru meets his match? What happens when Toru is forced to confront the darkest of feelings and thoughts born from someone who like him, has suffered at the mercy of others? See the Iris Zero gang face their toughest challenge yet.
1. Chapter 1

Typical disclaimer: I do not own Iris Zero, the characters, etc. Very much hope you enjoy this first chapter.

I made a decision, years ago, in order to protect myself. For I was born cursed, cursed to be different from all those other children with their irises. Standing out would be my sin, punishable by torture. So to stay alive, I would maintain minimum exposure. I would hide myself in plain sight; avoid those who would raise my exposure, and silently observe those around me. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd meet someone who could bring me to toss away my entire way of life. Then again, I didn't see myself becoming the villain either. – Takeru Kurosawa. July 12th, 2014.

July 2nd, 2014.

"Good morning Mizushima-san!" Koyuki Sasamori yelled while running towards her friend. Her grin was bright enough to light a room, let alone the front courtyard of the school. Almost immediately she stopped herself; realizing that everyone was not only looking at her, but more importantly at Toru. Months ago during that horrible instance when their friend Nanase Kuga became the "iris hunter," she asked Shinozuka to show her the truth that Toru had been hiding from her about the iris zero bullying. Realizing just how important it is for Toru to maintain his minimal exposure, she had decided she would stop drawing unwanted attention to her dear friend. She clearly was not doing a good job of it.

"Morning," Toru casually said as he passed her. Instantly, Koyuki's cheeks were dyed a sharp crimson. She knew that Toru responding to her theatric greeting would only raise his exposure levels, but he chose to anyways. She was so happy, but also scared. Scared that the feelings she wasn't ready to share with Toru would be obvious on her face. She was relieved that he continued to walk right by as he so typically does.

"That was some greeting, Toru!"

"Get that smirk off your face Hijiri." Toru said, dismissing his friend's energetic taunt. To Toru, it seemed as if Hijiri had made it some sort of mission to constantly pester Toru about every minute social interaction he had. Yes he could be useful in certain circumstances, and he was the first person to befriend Toru after he was exposed as an iris zero, but Hijiri seemed to take great pleasure from Toru's frustration.

"Toru, did you hear the rumor?" Hijiri asked Toru, hoping to play to his friend's curiosity.

"No." Toru answered, walking away without hesitation.

"That was brief," Harumi Tokita said jokingly while he walked beside Asahi Yuki, "Did you really expect Toru to bite?"

"Nope" Hijiri answered with a half grin on his face. The three were all accustomed to Toru's methodology. As long as it was something that didn't directly affect him, he would attempt to stay as far away as possible. Granted, he didn't have the option to do so when Koyuki was involved, but his instincts to flee were still sharp.

"The new student is transferring in today right Tokita-kun?" Asahi asked her companion. The aforementioned rumor was of course about this new student.

"Yes, it seems he's already arrived and is getting a tour around the school from Tanaka-sensei."

"I see, more importantly, what are you two doing together so early in the morning?" Hijiri said half-jokingly.

"It was a matter of fate, you see – OWW" Tokita began to say until he was knocked swiftly aside by Asahi.

"You really have the nerve to lie like that in front of me?!" Asahi said to the now-injured Tokita. "We just happened to bump into each other a little while ago, nothing more." While Asahi getting annoyed at Tokita's antics were old-hat, Hijiri found it somewhat interesting that Asahi choose to emphasize the words 'like that.' Looking closer at Asahi, he swore he noted a light shade of pink adorning her face. He made note to continue observing this interesting development in the future.

The three walked together towards their classrooms, until they spied Koyuki and Nanase talking to Tanaka-sensei and a slim boy standing behind him. His looks didn't scream the typical socially accepted views on handsome. In fact, his looks were almost nondescript. He wasn't very tall; his hair was average length in line with typical male fashion. It was as if someone had purposefully tried to adopt the most generic look humanly possible.

"So Sasamori-kun, Kuga-kun, if you two would show him around and help him adapt to school life here, it would be very helpful." Tanaka-sensei said to Koyuki and Nanase. Koyuki was the student council president and depended on by the faculty regularly. Nanase was a member of the student council, and apparently the new student was assigned to her class. Tanaka walked away, leaving the students to each other's mercy.

"So this must be the new student?" Asahi asked while giving her every day morning hug to Koyuki.

"Hello," spoke the new student. He didn't make eye contact with Asahi, choosing instead to look at the ground.

"This is Takeru Kurosawa," Koyuki said, believing that Takeru was simply responding shyly in response to Asahi's typical forwardness.

"It's nice to meet you Kurosawa-san," Tokita said, placing himself between Nanase and Takeru. He was very wary of men around his childhood friend, despite the fact he could clearly see that neither Nanase nor Takeru showed even a minuscule spec of interest in one another thanks to his iris.

"Where is Mizushima-kun?" Nanase asked Hijiri. Immediately she noticed the difference in the color rendered by her iris in Koyuki. She giggled to herself, in her mind of course, as she was rooting for Koyuki and Toru to be together.

"He's right…over there!" Hijiri exclaimed as he exposed Toru from his hiding spot. Hijiri already knew exactly where Toru would hide to maintain his minimum exposure early in the morning before heading to class. He was just that good.

"Toru get over here and say hello," Asahi commanded as she dragged Toru to meet the new student.

"Hi…my name is Toru Mizushima."

"Greetings…I'm Takeru Kurosawa."

The two boys shook hands. At that time, no one paid much attention. Asahi didn't spot tails on anyone, except Tokita of course. Nanase was busy looking at the vibrant pink wings Koyuki bore. Koyuki was looking at Toru, wondering what he was thinking at that exact moment. Tokita was just saying whatever would come to mind in order to tease Asahi. Toru himself was trying his best to maintain his low exposure all the while introducing himself to the new student. No one was worried…except Hijiri.

Two black butterflies whisked into thin air, as if melding themselves from the shadows. The first landed slowly, almost hesitatingly on Takeru. The other flew as if without direction until it landed with a slight bravado on Toru's shoulder. This was the sight Hijiri had dreadfully feared and painstakingly planned for since the first day he called the mysterious Toru Mizushima his friend. Hijiri was going to save his best friend, by any means necessary.


	2. Chapter 2

Continued disclaimer: I do not own Iris Zero, characters, etc.

Looking out, towards my classmates on that first day, I couldn't help but see with my iris. What I saw disgust me. I wasn't surprised; everywhere I went was the same. Children are monsters, and it just became another reason for me to maintain minimum exposure. They're all the same, except for her. And that's why when I got to know her…but that's just an excuse, isn't it? – Takeru Kurosawa. July 12th, 2014.

July 2nd, 2014.

"Everyone this is Kurosawa–kun, he's transferred here due to family matters. I know you'll all be kind and welcome him to this class," Aonohara-sensei told her class while writing the new student's name on the board.

"Hey what's your iris?"

"Seo-kun, you know you can't ask that kind of stuff!"

"Oh quiet Hori-chan"

The classroom erupted into brouhaha with Aonohara trying to quiet her students. Sitting in the back of the classroom, and not joining the rabble, was Nanase Kuga. She sighed while relaxing back in her desk. It wasn't usual for new students to transfer during the summer months, so the excitement felt in the classroom was normal. She looked out toward Takeru to see if he was handling the sudden attention well. What she saw confused her. She thought he was a bit shy earlier when he was being introduced to her and Koyuki, so she expected to see pale violet wings. Then again, she thought that maybe the attention would annoy the new student and he'd carry an estranged orange of annoyance. But neither guess was correct. He carried dull grey, nearly colorless wings.

Nanase had seen these wings before. It was months ago, the inciting moment when she would become the iris hunter. They were the wings that Houjou-kun bore when he was with her, wings of apathy. She cringed having to see these wings again, remembering all the pain she caused others and the guilt she still carried to this day. Nanase turned her head away and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath; she tried to quell those thoughts. Whatever reason Takeru would feel that way being introduced to everyone was a complete mystery to Nanase.

"Okay that's enough!" Aonohara yelled at her students and then almost as if a switch was flipped the ruckus turned to silence. "Kurosawa-kun there's an open seat right by Mizushima-kun."

Takeru took his newly appointed seat next to Toru. Having the new student sitting next to him was clearly detrimental to maintaining minimum exposure, so Toru was not pleased to say the least.

Class continued mostly normal from that point on. Takeru became the focus of the class, but whether it was reading aloud the poetry for literature class or answering questions in mathematics, Takeru was constant in two ways. His voice was always curt but articulate and he never made eye contact with anyone.

When lunch break started, a herd of male students approached Takeru, attempting to drag details from Takeru on a multitude of subjects including but not limited to his iris, girls from his previous school, what girls he found cute here, and whether or not he thought that Tanaka-sensei wore a wig. Takeru refrained from answering any questions regarding the first three subjects, but quietly confirmed the last to be true. It was clear that remaining next to this inquisition would prove to cause even further damage to his minimum exposure, and Toru made a strategic exit.

Before Toru could successfully escape, Asahi and Koyuki barged into the classroom, blocking his escape route.

"Toru, Kuga-chan, Kurosawa-kun, let's go have lunch on the roof!" Asahi exclaimed.

"I'm not invited?" Tokita questioned, placing himself directly in Asahi's line of sight.

"Nope," Asahi answered with a smile. While Tokita laughed and joined Nanase in heading towards the classroom door, Asahi peeked back towards Tokita. Recently, he had been causing a great deal of frustration for Asahi. He was extremely stubborn to a fault, completely overprotective of Nanase, always voicing his opinion when no one asked, but worst of all he knew how she felt about lies but still choose to purposefully spout lies. Actually that wasn't the worst part of it all. The worst part was she actually enjoyed their arguments. Every lie he told, while annoying, was also charming in an odd way. And while he might have thought she didn't notice, she knew that he came up with the idea for Koyuki's birthday present after seeing her admire the heart phone strap. All those things made him someone different than every other boy she was friends with and that made her worried. She had never liked anyone before, so she wasn't sure of how she felt, but she knew if these were feelings he'd be able to tell with his iris.

"Is it okay with you Kurosawa-san?" Koyuki asked looking at Takeru with a smile.

Before answering, Takeru stared at Koyuki for a moment, almost like he was puzzled. She continued to stand there smiling while waiting for his answer. After a moment of hesitation Takeru answered, "Okay."

On the roof the seating arrangements were, going clockwise, Asahi, Tokita, Nanase, Koyuki, Toru, Hijiri, and Takeru. Koyuki took out her cute homemade bento box with a pink sakura leaf design, while chatting with Nanase who opened up a lunch packed for her by her mother that morning. Tokita jumped slightly when Nanase mentioned her mother, with Hijiri hesitatingly laughing as he thought back on the time he was introduced. Takeru sat looking at everyone, almost as if he was examining them.

"It's a little tough isn't it?" Asahi asked Takeru as she took a sip of juice, "I realize it's difficult to join in a circle of friends, but you don't have to worry. Everyone here is well, odd to say the least. It's okay to take your time and get acquainted with everyone. It must be tough though, saying goodbye to all the friends at your old school."

"Yes it is," Takeru answered hesitatingly.

At that time both Asahi and Takeru were taken aback. Asahi was surprised to see a black devil tail appearing from Takeru. This meant he was lying, but it also made no sense. He seemed awkward, but to lie about missing his friends was unexpected. Takeru almost immediately corrected himself saying, "I actually wasn't close to anyone at my last school, so it wasn't a difficult transfer." This time there was no tail, and Asahi felt satisfied but also pity towards Takeru.

"It would be wonderful if you could make a lot of friends here," Koyuki said with a smile brimming on her face, "and it'll be easy since you've already become friends with us."

"I don't remember becoming friends with him," Tokita said correcting Koyuki.

"Oh stop it Haru-kun," Nanase intervened. She then looked at Takeru who to make sure Tokita hadn't offended him. Takeru was starring towards Koyuki once again, and the color of his wings was a dulcet green. Nanase wondered why Takeru would be so curious about Koyuki. Could he maybe have developed a crush on Koyuki? It wouldn't be a complete surprise, given how Koyuki was easily the cutest girl in school. But this was all a complete difference from his earlier emotions in class, or rather his lack thereof. Nanase decided she would keep an eye on Takeru. While she wanted to be friendly with him, Koyuki belonged with Toru in her mind.

"Kurosawa-kun, do you have plans to join any clubs?" Hijiri asked Takeru with his signature half smile on his face.

"Not at the moment," Takeru answered. The two boys stared towards one another, with a tension that began bubbling slowly. It was clear both were deep in thought, and no one dared to interrupt. At last Takeru slowly said, "Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Hijiri answered while turning towards his food.

For the second time that lunch, Asahi was surprised. This was the first time since she met him that Hijiri lied. Long ago Hijiri had mentioned to Toru and then later to Asahi, that people lie in order to protect something. Those words resonated with her. She remembered those words when she lied to protect Toru from Houjou's wrath during the iris hunter incident, and it made her feel relief then. So why was it that remembering these words now scared her?


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Iris Zero or any of the associated characters

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I never considered leaving, as strange as that might sound. I told myself that running away would only increase my minimum exposure. I told myself that it would only make things worse, but that's not why I stayed. I guess I blamed myself as much as he blamed me, and felt like I had to stay there. I felt like I deserved to be punished…I'm sorry. I don't want to talk about him anymore. – Takeru Kurosawa. July 12th, 2014.

July 2nd, 2014

Haru Tokita took a deep breath in as he stared at the pile of paperwork in front of him. The dull task of filing and sorting papers for the summer trip to Osaka in August fell to him as the vice president of the student council since Koyuki was presently giving Takeru a tour of the various clubs and groups. This kind of work should actually have fallen to Nanase, secretary of the student council, but he ardently decided that he would take care of it. This was standard protocol for Tokita.

When they were children, he initially viewed Nanase with slight envy. She never got in trouble, so it seemed, and he was constantly compared with her by his parents. She always listened. She was never stubborn or picky like him. It wasn't until he learned that her father was a cheating, abusive bastard did he realize the truth. She was a weak and fragile person who lived to please. He decided that day he would become stronger for her. He would protect her when no one else would. He would stand against the world for her sake. This wasn't some romantic dreaming of saving a damsel in distress. Tokita was far too cynical, even as a child, for that. He felt this was his duty as a man who failed to protect someone important to him.

"Tokita-kun, waiting for the papers to magically sort themselves is a waste of time, so why don't you actually do the work you claimed you would do?"

"Asahi-chan, instead of complaining you could help you know?" Tokita answered while adjusting his glasses.

"Well I guess I could help you this once, but you'll definitely owe me one." Asahi said triumphantly as she sat down and took a stack of the papers and began to sift through them.

Tokita looked at Asahi working diligently and couldn't help but smile. He knew from the very beginning that her remark was actually her own way of offering to help in the first place. He had grown to know the mysterious woman named Asahi Yuki well these past months. She was a paradox. She was loud and dense one minute, but shy and thoughtful the next. It was like she danced to a music that only she could hear, with her temperament changing as she gracefully stole the grins and eyes of the men unable to keep up with her. It wasn't that she was a tease, although she was well-versed and naturally gifted in the art. Rather it was her unique personality and stunning beauty that captured the eyes of others without even trying. She herself didn't seem to realize this, due to being best friends with the school's idol Koyuki, but the truth was she had a number of fans among both male and female peers who would be overjoyed to be sitting across from her as he was now.

"Tokita-kun, I need to talk to you about something," Asahi quietly mentioned while looking up from the papers. "It's about Hijiri-kun."

"What did that guy do now?" Tokita questioned with extra emphasis on the words 'that guy' and a look of annoyance on his face.

Tokita was not a fan of Hijiri. Among the circle of friends, Tokita always felt Hijiri was the most questionable and detestable of the men. Hijiri always wore a façade to hide what he was really thinking. His eyes were different from Toru. Toru examined others in order to protect himself; his eyes were those of someone trying to protect something. Hijiri analyzed all who fell into his gaze, almost as if they were an experiment. To Tokita, Hijiri was a man who was dangerously unpredictable. What made Tokita dislike Hijiri the most, however, was how close Nanase had gotten to him. Hijiri was the reckless man who used a knife to stop Nanase from jumping off the school building, only for Nanase to bring the knife to her own throat. That lack of forethought annoyed Tokita endlessly. After that event though, Nanase seemed to get closer and closer to Hijiri. The proof of that alone could be seen with Tokita's iris.

Human affection works in mysterious ways. Some people claim to have fallen in love at first sight. Other people say that developing feelings for someone takes time. Tokita had personally observed the latter with his iris. While some people could develop crushes quickly, usually lasting affection takes time. That's what was happening with Nanase. Tokita was sure that she wasn't aware of her own feelings, something that has plagued Nanase for years, but he could see with his iris that she was slowly falling for Hijiri. Tokita couldn't trust him. Too much was hidden behind that half smile.

"Today at lunch, Hijiri-kun lied when talking to Kurosawa-kun," Asahi answered with a worried look on her face. "I've never seen him lie before. It's just not like him at all."

"I see," Tokita answered, while thinking it was hard to believe that Hijiri had never lied in front of Asahi before.

"Ever since this morning when Hijiri-kun met Kurosawa-kun, he's been acting strange. I mean stranger than usual at least. Kurosawa-kun himself is also a bit odd. He lied before about having a difficult time saying goodbye to his friends, but then corrected himself. I don't know why he would lie in the first place, but I swear the moment right after he said it, he had the weirdest look on his face. Almost as if something surprised him."

For a moment, Tokita pondered on how to answer Asahi's declaration. Eventually he said, "For the time being, I suggest you keep your distance from Kurosawa."

"Why?" Asahi inquired with a look of wonder on her face.

"There's something off about his behavior from what you've described. I don't trust him. While Hijiri is always weird, for him to act that way makes me think he knows something. Whatever is going on between them, it can't be good. I'm worried that if you try to get in the middle of it, you could get hurt. So for now, it's safest for you to stay out of it until we know what exactly is going on."

"So you're worried about me? That's so out of character for the Kuga-chan obsessed you. It's a bit disgusting." Asahi said as she brushed hair away from her eyes. The truth was that she was trying to hide the fact that her cheeks were dyed with a slight pink. Tokita decided to let this pass, as he was more focused on trying to figure out the secret behind Hijiri and Takeru's behavior.

A few lonely street lamps lit up a small side road. The sun had gone down almost an hour ago, and most children of school age were home and getting ready for sleep. A solitary figure stood outside a small apartment, waiting under one of those street lamps. He had been waiting there for well over an hour, yet any passerby wouldn't notice since there wasn't a hint of any emotion on his face. Soon an unkempt, middle-aged man stumbled down the street towards the apartment and the young man who waited outside.

"Takeru," the man mumbled as he began to lose his balance. He was intoxicated, a state made clear by his body language and the foul smell of alcohol that oozed from him. Takeru slowly lifted the man and helped him into the apartment lending his shoulder.

The apartment was made up of four room: two bedrooms, a living room that also served as a kitchen, and a bathroom. The apartment was littered with empty beer cans and unorganized papers that decorated the floor. Takeru slowly dragged the drunken man towards one of the bedrooms.

"That's enough; I've got it from here." The man said as he lifted himself from Takeru.

"Okay," Takeru answered as he took a step away.

"What? Do you have something to say?" The man jeered at Takeru, with a look of disdain in his eyes.

"Nothing at all."

"Yeah right," the man chortled as he belched loudly, "A damn freak like you should stay quiet like that. I can tell you're judging me with those twisted eyes of yours. You think you're so damn smart, don't you? It's all your fault I'm like this. First you scared off your own damn mother, may she rot in hell, and then thanks to you I lost my last job. It's all because of those eyes of yours. I wish you were never born."

These cruel words were said without an ounce of hesitation. The man, unqualified to be called a father, held nothing but hatred in his heart for Takeru. An outside observer would find this to be almost unbelievable, a cruel joke masquerading behind the rants of a drunken stupor of a beaten down man. But sadly the truth wasn't nearly so kind. On the few nights when he wasn't this drunk, Takeru's father was even worse. He never left any physical marks on Takeru. He was too smart for that. Over the years, both the verbal and physical abuse had become the norm for Takeru. It was something he became numb to in order to survive. He simply left the room, without giving the man a second thought.

Takeru sat on his bed, with his back to the wall. Even though it was summer, this was a cool night. He took a deep breath in as he closed his eyes. If one were to look around his room, they would find it devoid of any items of sentimentality. He had long outgrown the little comfort such items afforded. Takeru breathed out as he lifted his student handbook from his side. He scrutinized the small book with prying eyes. He had gone to a number of schools in the past, due to his father's unstable search for work moving them from place to place. It had been helpful for someone like Takeru. Getting to close to anyone was not an option. People were dangerous, children especially were monsters. He had suffered abuse from his father for years, but dealing with that at home would only be made worse by the bullying he would receive at schools.

Takeru believed it was his fate to suffer because he was cursed. His iris was the curse that brought all misfortune in his life. He could read the thoughts of others. It was plainly written for him by his iris. While most children felt a sense of camaraderie and friendship born from irises, his iris only drew others to look upon him with suspicion and disgust. He was the freak that people felt exposed by; their secrets and privacy were all devoid to him. Under his eyes, they were vulnerable, and that made other children feel scared and angry. They took out the frustrations they felt of being exposed on Takeru. He was doomed to a vicious cycle of brutality at home and at school. The only way to survive was to maintain minimum exposure. If he didn't get close to anyone at school, he could be left alone and not be hurt. If he kept his interactions with his father to a minimum, the chances of him getting injured were reduced. For Takeru, minimum exposure was his saving grace in a world that did nothing but beat him down at every chance.

Looking back at the student handbook, Takeru began to think about the girl who handed the book to him. Koyuki was different from anyone else he had ever met. In a cruel world, she was his first interaction with the previously unbelievable fantasy called kindness. When she smiled at him, she wasn't thinking cruel or underhanded thoughts. She didn't have any secret intentions or plans. She was open, honest with her kindness. She genuinely wanted to be friends with him. She genuinely wanted him to be happy. Takeru had never met anyone in his life before who wished for him to be happy. Anyone with thoughts so simple and kind. Takeru was stunned. He couldn't believe such a person existed. So Takeru sat and thought about Koyuki. He thought about the kind smile she gave towards him. He wanted to see that smile again. The smile that made his heart, made cold as steel by past experiences, feel warm for the first time. For the first time in his life, Takeru was looking forward to tomorrow.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Iris Zero or any of the associated characters

Sorry to everyone who has been following the story up for the lack of updates. A combination of both life and writer's block has stood in the way of this chapter being made. While I didn't expect it, Toru had the most difficult character/voice to capture. I hope that everyone is pleased with the end result.

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The man called Toru Mizushima…I wouldn't know where to begin to talk about him. I won't say I like him, even now. But I do understand him. – Takeru Kurosawa. July 12th, 2014

July 3rd, 2014

Exposure level: minimum

Taking a quick look around, Toru steadily made his way toward the school building. Glancing over his shoulder to make sure that Hijiri wasn't sneaking up on him, he calmly proceeded through the school gate. He immediately stopped, having heard a loud brouhaha stirring, to analyze the source of the noise. Several students were standing near the school building steps and playing a card game. Looking closely, Toru realized he was actually familiar with the game. Not from his own experience of course, he learned of the game after observing his youngest sister play with her friends. He allowed himself the privilege to muse for a moment at the prospect of him playing the game with his friends. The concept of the game was simple enough: splitting a deck of 52 cards amongst all players, each player takes a turn placing cards in a center pile based on numerical order. The player would posit their action stating "two aces" or "one nine" and the like. Other players would then have the option to challenge the player's claim, with either the challenger or player receiving penalty dependent on whether the claim was true or false.

Enjoying himself, Toru began to construct the scenario in his mind. Obviously Asahi would have a steep advantage in this game because of her iris. Thus the first obstacle would be to work around that advantage. Tokita had a talent for finding a way to sneak a truth within a lie to Asahi in the past. Likely a double act of Tokita and Hijiri would ensue composed of ridiculous double talk, which would at the very least distract Asahi. A question sprang to Toru's mind as he mulled over the options.

Can Asahi tell if a person is lying if they are unaware of the lie?

How he would work this potential workaround into a card game was beyond him at the moment. He surmised there were several other alternate solutions as well, but in the end asking Asahi to simply not look at the person declaring their play would be the simplest and most fair solution. He then went on to think about the others' irises. Both Koyuki and Kuga had iris abilities that could be exploited for the game. He immediately dismissed the thought of Koyuki cheating. Leaving her moral character aside, she would never purposefully ruin everyone's fun that way. He chuckled to himself at the very thought of Koyuki trying to cheat in a game. On the other hand, Kuga without even realizing would probably be influenced by her ability to see the emotions of the other players. He realized that would be the perfect way to trick her while playing. Manage to feign uncertainty while playing a truthful play, and Kuga would wind up penalized for making a wrong call.

Toru immediately admonished himself for thinking this way. He knew of Kuga's past and how cruel it would be to manipulate her in such a way. While Toru felt guilt for even thinking that, he also understood what would drive him, albeit momentarily, to be so uncharacteristically competitive. He had never played a game like this with a group of friends. And despite his constant self assurance that minimum exposure was the best way to survive, he always felt just a bit envious of others who were able to play those kinds of games. The fact he was able to acknowledge this loneliness stirring in his own heart was in no small part thanks to his friends.

Moving onward, Toru went to the front entrance of the school and took a deep breath before opening the door. Recently, Koyuki had made a habit of greeting Toru within the front entrance of the school, in an attempt to keep his exposure from rising. However her actions had the opposite effect, rumors were beginning recently of a special morning ritual of sorts between the beloved student council president and the ostracized iris zero. Opening the door, Toru let out a soft sigh as his gaze fell upon an empty hallway, Koyuki nowhere in sight.

For a moment, Toru wondered whether it was a sigh of relief or a sigh of disappointment. He promptly determined it was a sigh of relief, but not due to a fear of his exposure levels rising. Rather he was relieved because it was still awkward for him to be alone with Koyuki, ever since his conversation with Asahi.

"What you're doing is unfair to the girl who is seriously in love with you."

Those words resonated within Toru. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Koyuki, but at the same time he wasn't sure how to answer her feelings. Having friends was already a novel and somewhat strenuous task for him. It wasn't that he disliked having friends; Toru simply wasn't experienced in navigating the dynamics of a social circle. He wasn't used to having so many people who care about him. He was afraid that he was going to mess that up. Moreover, he's never had romantic feelings for anyone before. He couldn't be sure whether his feelings toward Koyuki were the romantic kind. She was objectively the most caring person he had ever met. She was always the first person to get involved and the last person to leave when someone was in trouble. Someone who didn't know her could dare to call her a busybody, but that wasn't it. She got involved because she was kind, because she cared, and she put other peoples' feelings before her own. A promise to Koyuki would be a promise for life, and she could never say no to anyone despite Toru's chagrin. Outside of that, Koyuki was indescribably adorable, which went without question. But all of these qualities are things anyone who has spent any real time with Koyuki would know. The question Toru had to ask himself was what Koyuki meant to him. At this point in time, he just wasn't sure of the answer.

"Ah, Mizushima-kun!" a loud boisterous voice rang out through the hallway.

Exposure level: 12%

The voice came from none other than Tanaka–sensei. Toru had a few encounters with the man before. Officially Tanaka was the guidance counselor. The iris zero bullying Toru suffered led him to Tanaka's office on several occasions. But Toru wasn't the type to depend on adults to resolve his issues. He had long moved past the ideal notion of an adult understanding and facilitating interactions between students. Tanaka did make a point of trying to get to know all the students well though, so Toru mentally prepared himself for whatever scheme Tanaka plotted calling out to him.

"Yes Tanaka–sensei?" Toru asked cordially.

"Could you do me a solid and post these flyers for the school's open house around campus?" Tanaka asked. Letting alone his word choice – a solid? – Toru accepted the task and quickly made his way, only to avoid Tanaka trying to engage him in further conversation.

Toru strategically began to post flyers throughout the school. He posited that the places students would most likely see the flyers would be at the various lavatories throughout the school, the notice board outside the student council room, and outside the gym entrance. Toru made his way through the first floor of the school, only to sigh when he saw Hijiri outside the men's bathroom.

Exposure level: 30%

"Toru…" Hijiri called out. Toru was surprised; Hijiri was using a much more appropriate level of volume as he spoke. He didn't make his typical spectacle he always made when Toru was nearby. This made Toru feel slightly restless.

"Hijiri, is something wrong?"

"No, it's nothing," Hijiri quickly affirmed, "just a question though. What do you make of the new kid?"

"There's not much to say yet. Kurosawa seems normal enough. He's a bit more reserved than most, but that could be due to moving frequently. He doesn't seem to out of the ordinary." Toru answered after taking a moment to think.

"I see, that's what you concluded as well." Hijiri spoke aloud. "I'll see you later."

Toru was frankly baffled by this discourse. Towards the end, it seemed as if Hijiri was speaking to himself rather than to Toru. This kind of behavior was well out of the norm. Toru began to think about the conversation but from Hijiri's perspective. Though their conversation was brief, Hijiri was asking Toru his opinion of Takeru. Toru was unable to offer much beyond the initial conclusion of seeming normal. The key point was that Hijiri stated Toru had concluded that as well. Meaning Hijiri had reached that conclusion about Takeru. Based on the fact that Hijiri asked about Toru's thoughts after reaching this deliberation, means that Hijiri wasn't satisfied with what he learned. That means Hijiri knows something that Toru doesn't about Takeru. Recalling back to their childhood, Hijiri's iris should allow him to see butterflies around something that is near a potential death. Did Hijiri see a butterfly on Takeru? No, it was too early to make that assumption. Toru decided it might be best to take a more vested interest in learning about the new student, if only to deter his worry.

Exposure level: minimum

Toru continued to post flyers throughout the school. He still had plenty of time before homeroom would start, so he decided to take a detour by the benches outside the school. He would later regret this decision.

"So who do you think you are anyways?" the leader of a group of male students yelled as he accosted Takeru. "You're new and yet you're already trying cozying up to Sasamori–san? You do realize she's just being nice to you, right?"

Toru was torn. He had suffered the same way when Koyuki had initially inserted herself in Toru's life. He greatly sympathized with Takeru. At the same time, Toru wasn't the hero type; at least he didn't figure himself to be. However against his better judgment, he decided to get involved.

Exposure level: 60%

"What's it to you?" Takeru curtly answered before Toru could say a word. Toru was surprised; the young man he had met just yesterday was far more reserved. Talking back to a mob of bullies was quite the unexpected bold move. "If you're so annoyed by me befriending Koyuki–chan, then you clearly don't know her well. She's far more kind and pure than the lot of you put together."

The mob of boys was dumbfounded, but their leader was simply aggravated. He proceeded to grab Takeru by his uniform collar. But Takeru didn't flinch. He simply stared coldly into his tormentor's eyes.

"You're wrong if you think I made you look weak in front of your so called friends." Takeru stated composedly, "I mean do you really think they're your friends to begin with? You act all high and mighty, prancing around like you're the man. But you know deep down inside when you're not there to scare them into submission, they probably laugh at you. They see you for the selfish coward that you are. They're laughing at you now, can't you hear them?"

The leader tossed Takeru aside quickly and turned on his own pack. However before an all out brawl could erupt, an angel descended upon the scene.

"Please stop this fighting" Koyuki pleaded, and as if like magic the fight slowly began to subside with the group students departing.

"Koyuki–chan, good morning to you," Takeru said with a smile completely devoid of the tension from the earlier scene. "Thank you for resolving that issue just now."

"Good morning Kurosawa–kun," Koyuki responded. "You should try and be a bit more careful around your classmates. It'd be wonderful if you could all be friends." Takeru looked squarely into Koyuki's eyes and gave an approving smile and nod. Koyuki turned around and spotted Toru. "Oh Mizushima–kun I didn't see you there, good morning." Koyuki said with her cheeks dyed a slight pink.

"Morning," Toru answered with his usual nonchalance. He was more focused on observing Takeru at the moment. He swore for a moment Takeru had sent a deathly state in his direction when Koyuki greeted him.

"We should all head to class now," Koyuki stated with a smile, "Will I see you both at lunch?"

"Of course," Takeru answered without giving Toru a chance to chime in. Koyuki took her leave. Before Toru could begin his exeunt, Takeru stopped him. "Mizushima–san, what is your relationship with Koyuki?"

"We're friends." Toru said coolly. Takeru never once broke eye contact with Toru in the time that Koyuki left. It was as if he was looking for something.

"Is that all? What does she mean to you though?" Takeru pressed.

"She's…I –"

"I see. Well, as long as that's all." Takeru interrupted as if his question was already satisfied. Takeru gave a slight smirk as he turned towards the school to make his way.

As Takeru walked away, Toru altered his previous conclusion. Takeru was not someone to be underestimated or trusted. His clever manipulation of the previous situation was simultaneously affective and cruel. Toru began to worry, not for himself, but for Koyuki. The way Takeru looked at her bore a feeling of unparalleled anxiety in Toru. Toru stood back, leaning against the wall, and asked himself once again what Koyuki meant to him. This time he had an answer.

"She's my most precious friend." Toru whispered to himself as he wearily proceeded to class.

Exposure level: minimum


	5. Chapter 5

It's been quite some time since I've updated. Honestly, I lost a lot of motivation after an incident which resulted in the loss of all my notes and previous work for this Fanfic. The unbearable hiatus for the source material also didn't help. However, I know there are still people who read this story and would like for it to continue. So this is for you, the readers. I really hope you all like it. Any feedback would be much appreciated. It's been quite a while since I've written, so I'm very sorry if my quality isn't what it used to be.

Standard disclaimer: I do not own Iris Zero, the characters, concepts, etc.

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It's always the people who claim to be "protecting" someone else who are the weakest. They cling to some precious ideal of heroism and project their own needs onto others. It's all so they can hide from their own insecurities. That's why they're so easy to break – Takeru Kurosawa. April 12, 2014

April 3, 2014

Hijiri saw everything that happened. A group of ill-tempered boys banding together out of a sense of misplaced jealousy. Despite the potential outbreak of violence that almost erupted, Hijiri didn't bat an eye. He didn't consider seeking help for the endangered and outnumbered Takeru, let alone take action on his own part to disrupt the conflict. He wasn't worried. Rather, Hijiri was bemused at his own luck. He finally had an opportunity to study Takeru. He could learn how his newfound target would respond to a hostile situation. Takeru did not fail to disappoint. A group's actions are largely dictated by its leader. By disrupting the group dynamic, one could easily turn an enemies' numbers against them. Takeru quickly managed to prey upon the leader's insecurities. He took advantage the young man's fear of being looked down upon by his peers. Takeru dug into the boy's psyche and brought up the one thing that could easily crush the false bravado his antagonist bore. Instantly that group's synergy was torn asunder. A few simple words and Takeru was capable of maliciously tearing someone down.

Hijiri was conflicted at this revelation. On the one hand, he was able to confirm two suspicions he held. Takeru was insightful at reading other people, quite possibly due to his iris, and at a level comparable to Toru. Takeru was also malicious. Toru could conjecture a person's insecurities with relative ease. It was what made him so capable. His gift in place of an iris. A gift he used to help others, thanks to the influence of a certain girl. Takeru on the other hand used his insight to hurt others. He took a more passive role in manipulating events to a most desirable outcome. He was so similar to Toru, and yet so very different. Had Sasamori not intervened, how far would Takeru have gone? Would he have broken down each of those boys? Would he have enjoyed it? Hijiri mulled over the scene he witnessed, and soon sighed when he realized he almost missed the most critical element. Takeru's actions and personality performed an unnerving change once Sasamori arrived. He called her Koyuki-chan. Far too familiar an act for the seemingly reserved, average boy he met yesterday. Too sickeningly sweet a response for the bold, manipulative young man he witnessed just moments prior. Somehow, Takeru had some sick, twisted adoration towards Sasamori. Koyuki Sasamori. The girl who was in love with Toru. Hijiri felt he had the first few pieces of the puzzle discerned. But there were still far too many unknown variables at play. What was the source of Takeru's keen insight? Was it his iris? If so, what exactly did his iris allow him to see? What were its limitations? Hijiri needed to be assure of all relevant information before making his move. He wouldn't make a mistake. This was Toru's life, his best friend's life, that was on the line. It was Hijiri's turn to protect his friend.

When she arrived in class, Asahi immediately turned her attention towards Hijiri. While Tokita may have expressed concern about her safety in becoming involved in whatever was transpiring between Hijiri and Takeru, Asahi never considered standing down for a second. Her friend might be in trouble. That was more than enough reason for Asahi to become involved. Hijiri may have always been odd, to put it nicely. But he was her friend. So whether Hijiri wanted her help or not, she was getting involved.

"What's with you and Takeru-kun?" Asahi asked bluntly. Engaging in subtleties and pretenses was not Asahi's style. At least not in this set of circumstances.

"What?" Hijiri looked up to Asahi bearing his signature half smile. He wasn't going to make this easy for Asahi. She didn't care.

"You lied yesterday, for the first time since I've known you. You lied speaking to Takeru-kun. You've been acting off since we met him. If something's going on, you should tell me."

Hijiri looked Asahi in the eyes. He remembered back to when he first learned about her gift. It was shortly after they had started school, during a student council incident. A few of the account books had been misplaced. The former student council treasurer was obviously the first person asked questioned in the disappearance. He vehemently denied any culpability, and added that he handed all documents to the secretary at the time. The secretary, in turn, denied being handed all the documents. Most of the other student council members believed her and held continued suspicion against the treasurer. It was only Asahi, a new member of the student council at the time, who questioned the seemingly innocent secretary. It was eventually revealed that the secretary had indeed dropped the account books while bumping into another student the prior day. Luckily the student she had bumped into happened to be a certain young man with a policy of minimum exposure, so Hijiri was able to recover the documents readily. This incident is what led to Hijiri and Asahi to first become friends.

Hijiri was a student council representative from the same class as Asahi, so she wasn't a complete stranger to him. However, they never engaged in conversation beyond the mere formalities or necessary discussion for student council tasks. Asahi took the first step in establishing a dialogue. While Hijiri once claimed to Toru that Asahi took "a vague interest in him" because he wasn't the type to lie, that was only a partial truth. Asahi initially established contact with Hijiri because he was close to Toru. Asahi had felt guilty for some time for the pain she caused her former childhood friend. She knew the torment she had caused him, and was always far too afraid to approach him herself. Hijiri was the only person in the school who associated whatsoever with Toru back then, let alone being able to call him a friend. Asahi simply wanted to know if Toru was okay. That strength of character, that kindness which Asahi hid beneath her tomboyish and brusque exterior was what drew Hijiri to befriend her. When he learned about her ability to identify when a person was lying, he was initially troubled. What if he needed to deceive her, for whatever reason? He had almost dismissed such a scenario occurring as unfathomable. Almost being the key word. It looked as though it might finally be time for Hijiri to lie to the girl who could see lies.

"Hijiri? Are you okay?" Asahi asked. It had already been several minutes since she originally started talking to her friend. He just stopped talking and zoned out for a while.

"Sorry, just thinking about how we first met. It was cute how worried you were about Toru back then." Hijiri responded.

"What are you talking about, idiot?!" Asahi yelled while delivering a swift slap to Hijiri.

"Oww."

"Stop fooling around. What's going on between you and Takeru-kun?"

"What if I told you I was just interested in him?" Hijiri asked nonchalantly. He didn't make direct eye contact with Asahi, but rather observed her responses in the corner of his eyes.

"I'd tell you once again to stop fooling around. We both know you're not the type to be 'just interested' in people. You've always got some diabolical scheme planned."

"So you've got me all figured out, huh?" Hijiri whispered to himself. An almost pained expression briefly flashed across his face. It was quick enough that Asahi failed to catch it, and instead continued on with her interrogation.

"So tell me the truth. Why are you so curious about the new kid? Did he do something? I mean he's a bit weird, but I didn't think he was that bad. In a way, he kinda reminded me of Toru." Asahi said.

"Like Toru…" Hijiri chuckled, "in a way he's exactly like Toru. But also the opposite."

"The opposite?" Asahi remarked confusedly.

"Yup. And that's exactly why I'm curious about him. I'm worried about how Kurosawa will affect my relationship with Toru. What would you say to that?"

"I'd say you were lying." Asahi stated bluntly.

"Really? Do you see a tail though?" Hijiri spoke as he turned to face her directly. His eyes gazing sharply into her eyes.

"I…" Asahi was stunned. The truth was that she hadn't seen a tail when he spoke before. She also wasn't used to the Hijiri she saw before her. He usually gave a sortied grin without much trace of seriousness or intensity. The only other time she could recall Hijiri acting like this was during the Iris Hunter incident. It was when he summoned Asahi to the roof and Kuga brought a knife to her own throat. He was soon to hide that look beneath his half-smile, but that brief look of desperation was burned into Asahi's memory. His face now wasn't quite like it was then, but the serious intensity remained the same.

The teacher soon entered the room and Hijiri returned to his seat. Despite class beginning, Asahi was lost in thought. Why was Hijiri so tense about all of this? Asahi pondered this for some time. She knew that Hijiri and Toru were best friends for some time. Asahi always figured it meant a great deal for Toru, who would've otherwise been left alone. But what about Hijiri? While he was certainly weird, it wasn't like he was a complete outcast. Granted, being close to an Iris Zero did make some people hesitant to associate with Hijiri, but it wasn't so bad that he would be outright ostracized like Toru. Hijiri was a member of the general student council association and was at least acquainted with a fair number of other students. Was Toru really so important to Hijiri that he would feel so threatened and insecure just because someone new came into their lives? It was difficult to believe that Hijiri was so sensitive. He always hid his true intentions from the rest of the circle with a smile. Asahi simply had a hard time believing that Hijiri had told her the truth. But he didn't have a tail…


End file.
